


Choices

by Dazzledfirestar



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Bogota backstory, Gen, minor military violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-18
Updated: 2015-07-18
Packaged: 2018-04-09 21:36:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,389
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4365065
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dazzledfirestar/pseuds/Dazzledfirestar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The thing about doing the right thing is that most people don't really get it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Choices

**Author's Note:**

  * For [spiderfire](https://archiveofourown.org/users/spiderfire/gifts).



> written for Marvel POC fest. I hope my recipient likes this.

It wasn’t that Nick didn’t think diplomacy could work. On a bigger scale, he might even have thought it was the right idea. The thing was, Alex and his people hadn’t been dealing with the nitty gritty of the situation in Bogotá as closely as they should have. That was a conversation for another time and even though he’d tried to point that out before, with those people stuck in that building, he wasn’t about to try to have another fight about policy and ‘political interference’—which was bullshit anyway, but again, that was for another time—in a country they were practically occupying.

In that moment it didn’t really matter. Politics wasn’t going to get those people out of there no matter what Alex wanted to believe. And Nick didn’t blame him for wanting to believe something like that at the time. He had enough on his mind with his daughter in the line of fire. That was another reason to get it done fast and quietly.

Really, the less blood shed on both sides, the more likely he figured that negotiation and diplomacy bullshit could work down the road.

Unfortunately, Alex was already convinced that approach was going to work in the here and now. He was already down that road and had skipped over the safe return of those officers and his daughter in the process. And there was no convincing him to turn back. Usually Nick respected his conviction. Right now, it was frustrating as hell.

“You’re missing the point. They aren’t going to negotiate.” Nick sighed heavily, rubbing at his eyes. This conversation had gone on too long already. “Alex…” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Just let me do this.”

“Nick, I can’t authorize military action in a country we’re barely on speaking terms with.” To his credit, at least Alex looked like he really wanted to. “Negotiations will work. We’ve got the best people on this. It’ll work.”

They wouldn’t and they didn’t and Nick knew it. “Yes, Sir.” With a nod, he opened the office door and headed out into the hallway. He nodded again to his CO. The man wasn’t a bad agent but he seemed to have a very strict view on how the office was going to run. Nick had differing opinions on the matter that he did have a tendency to voice directly but as long as he was effective, Glenister seemed to grudgingly indulge his more spontaneous ways of dealing with missions, as long as things went smoothly.

Nick hated the word spontaneous now though. It wasn’t like he didn’t plan ahead. He did. He had plans for everything. It just didn’t take him as long to see the ways things were going to play out as it did some of his superiors. And he was usually right. At least more often than they were. Director Carter appreciated it anyway and Stark seemed to get a charge out of it, even if the rest of them didn’t.

There were days he wasn’t sure why he still had a job or if he would once the Director retired.

Either way, he knew Glenister would agree with whatever diplomatic measures Alex decided on. The man was a bureaucrat at heart after all and starting a full out war with the ELN and the cartels wasn’t in his best interests. Frankly it wasn’t in anybody’s best interests, but if they ended up killing the innocent daughter of a state department officer that would be exactly what happened. Not to mention the other people in there. Most of them were clerical and service staff. Nobody that would rate any major military response and it was likely the men who planned the attack knew that.

He came out of his thoughts face to face with a couple agents from the field office. He wasn’t surprised, really. And if anyone was going to back him up in his currently insane and potentially international incident causing plan, if was the people at the end of that hallway.

He didn’t miss a beat as he approached them. “I was the lay out of that basement. Any way in or out no matter how small. I want to know how many men we can get in there to evac the hostages without sounding the alarm and who you think might be willing to risk a court martial and possible international tribunal to save a dozen people.” He frowned and checked his sidearm for a moment. “If you’re not coming, I’m going in on my own. Just don’t rat me out until I get them out of there.”

He knew he’d probably pushed them past the point of insubordination that even they’d sink. Junior agents were usually pretty predictable on that front. But these two? He couldn’t say for sure. As they stared at each other for a moment though, Nick was starting to think they’d break rank. Or one of them would. Garrett could be counted on as a distraction at the least. He wasn’t big on the rules or chain of command but the punishment involved here might turn him away from it if he thought they’d get caught. But Coulson? He had the right idea on this and a big enough hero complex to see what Nick was trying to do.

His junior agents didn’t let him down. Phil turned to face him again and nodded. “Whatever you need, Boss.”

A few hours later, Garrett was at the entrance to the sewer system closest to the embassy, Coulson was at the half way mark to make sure the hostages had a hand out of this mess and Nick was trudging through water he didn’t want to examine too closely. He was willing to admit it could have been worse and probably would be for the people in business casual at the end of the line. But at least the ELN hadn’t seen a reason to guard the sewer grates. 

He didn’t draw his sidearm. He did however get his knife out. The longer he could keep it quiet, the better his chances were. The two guards he met on his search didn’t get a chance to raise an alarm. They probably didn’t really get a chance to figure out that they were under attack until they hit the ground. They were soldiers; well-trained ones too but Nick was better. He knew that in a vague sort of way as he made his way through the compound but he wasn’t going to make the mistake of riding that confidence into a wall. Or a hail of bullets.

He checked around the next corner. There were three guards at the door and he could hear yelling behind the door that sounded an awful lot like threats to hostages. For half a second he considered how much easier this would have been with Coulson and Garrett with him but the priority was the hostages and they’d need somebody helping them out of the sewers or they’d most likely get lost down there and this would all be for nothing.

Nothing wasn’t an option.

He reached into a pocket, hoping the tech guys at the SHIELD office were as good as they bragged about being over beers. They hadn’t let him down yet but the tiny ball of metal in his hand was experimental at best. He sighed and hit the small button on top, rolling it quietly down the short hallway and waiting to see what happened.

He heard a soft yelp and three thuds a few moments later. Maybe there was something to this chemical incapacitation thing. Tech had said it would last ten minutes tops so he moved, using one guard’s ID to get to the door open. He lifted his side arm, shooting the man shouting at the hostages in the face as he turned to see who had joined them. “I’m with SHIELD, let’s get you out of here.”

They started out the door, following his directions when the youngest of the grabbed his arm. “My dad…”

“He’s waiting for you at our base, Miss Pierce. Let’s go.”

She gave him a look that he knew well enough from her father. The one that said I don’t fully believe you but I’ll go along with it for now. Smart girl, but he didn’t have time to tell her so as he saw one of the knocked out guards twitching. Ten minutes. Right. He’d have to tell the tech guys they’d have to half that expectation at least.

“Go.” He nudged her down the hall toward the rest of the hostages. “Down through the grate in the next room. I’m right behind you.” The first shot rang out and ricocheted off the wall behind him. He did his best to hide the pain as the bullet hit the back of his leg. His sidearm rose faster than the other man’s or he was a better shot or whatever gods were out there were on his side. He didn’t know and he didn’t particularly care as he returned fire and eventually followed them into the sewers.

He hissed as he stepped down into the water and wobbled as the pain shot up his leg. He didn’t want to think about what he would have fallen into if Phil hadn’t been standing there. “Not worrying about infections today?”

“Did everybody get out?” He ignored the joke and pushed forward.

“Yeah, we’re ready to head back.”

“Good. Get moving.”

~~~~~~~~~

Glenister had been yelling for—Nick checked his watch again—37 minutes so far. The words irresponsible, risk assessment, international incident and insubordination had come up in record numbers. Never mind that he’d saved the lives of a dozen people linked to the state department. Never mind that they hadn’t officially taken responsibility for the action. Another local rebel group had, in order to gain a little backing from the Americans. Never mind he’d turned himself in for disobeying a direct order without prompting or a fight.

None of it mattered because Glenister was the boss and Nick had to learn that.

Nick wasn’t liking the chances on that, if he was honest about it.

When the door opened, Nick figured someone—maybe Director Carter? Maybe Stark? Maybe the President?—was coming in the join in the yelling. It didn’t really matter. He knew he’d done the right thing. He knew he was right and he knew he’d saved those people’s lives. If that landed him in MP custody, so be it. At least Pierce’s daughter would get that degree he was so fond of talking about—full scholarship too. He was so proud—and those people wouldn’t end up in a casualty report on the nightly news back home.

As far as he was concerned they could put him to the wall and line up the firing squad now. At least he wouldn’t have to listen to Glenister anymore.

“Go get a cup of coffee, Agent.”

Nick looked up at Glenister as the man paled for a moment. “Sir I think you should—“

“Coffee. Now.” Pierce waved the man out the door.

Nick watched him move through the room. It was odd really. He didn’t often have to deal with Alex in a professional setting. They’d met at a meeting with Glenister and they’d become friends but rarely were working on the same thing at the same time. It took a moment to slide into work mode. “When’s the tribunal, sir?”

“There isn’t one.” Alex sat down. “You’re getting a promotion.”

Nick blinked at him for a moment, work mode sliding away again. “You’re fucking kidding.”

“You rescued a dozen people. Single-handedly from the story I was told. You talked two junior agents into breaking international law because they trust your judgement and will follow your orders. Your boss can’t say that.”

He shrugged his shoulder. “Maybe not.”

“Definitely not. Don’t try to bullshit me, Nick.” He sighed and sat down across from him. “I had a talk with Director Carter. Told her what I thought of your leadership capability. She agrees with me.”

Nick’s eyebrow climbed as Alex spoke. “Agrees on what, exactly?”

“That you should be running this base.” Alex mirrored Nick’s shrug from earlier, as if this wasn’t that big a deal or that important a conversation.

Nick sat back, more than a little surprised. “Oh.”

“And that she’d like to talk to you about your future plans with SHIELD.”

“Oh.” He was started to feel a little numb. This conversation was a little too surreal to get much more reaction from him.

Alex chuckled and shook his head. “That’s enthusiasm, Nick. Very good.”

Nick smirked and shook his head. “Not sure I’m ready to become a bureaucrat yet.”

“But someday?”

“Maybe. Can’t work in the field forever, I guess.”

“Well, you could.” Alex smiled back at him. “But forever gets a lot shorter that way.”

“Maybe.” Nick nodded. “But you do a lot of good before it’s all over.”

“Is that what this was?”

“I want to protect people. Even if it means the system gets broken along the way. Sometimes the system is a couple steps behind.” He shrugged a shoulder, shifting his leg a little. The wound still stung a little but the antibiotics would work. Probably. Or so the med guys said. “Sometimes you have to get dirty to get it done.”

Alex took a moment to take that in before he spoke again. “But if you were running the system…”

That got Nick’s attention. “What?”

“Well, it’s something to think about it.”

Nick studied the man again. “Trying to talk me into politics, Alex?”

“No, Nick. I’ve got that side covered.” He smirked. “Director Carter thinks you should be the one protecting the world someday. I think she’s right.”

“Protecting the world.”

“That’s what I said.”

Nick let out a long, slow breath as he considered the logistics of an offer like that. “Big job.”

“Tough one.” Alex conceded.

“Hard calls.”

“Absolutely.”

Nick nodded. “I’ll think about it.”

“Good.” Alex stood. “Agent Glenister’s office will probably need some touching up. He’s leaving tomorrow.”

“You know a good decorator?” Nick smirked.

“I might know a few names.” He buttoned the jacket on his suit. “Oh and Nick? Thank you. For saving my daughter.”

“Part of the job, sir.”


End file.
